It’s always fun to see the finishing touches that our clients make when it comes to their wedding invitations and save the dates. For Chelsea and JohnMichael’s May wedding at The Hempstead House, we worked with Jill from Jilly P Invitations & Gifts to create a set of custom, venue-inspired wedding invitations and save the dates. Jill shared some background with us on the inspiration for this suite – we’ll let her take it from here!

Whenever I work with a customer, my goal is to always make their dreams become a reality. For this invitation, the bride wanted a drawing of the castle where the event was being held. So as to hint at the incredible night ahead, we first used a hand drawn image of the castle on the save the date. As we continued the process, we then included the castle design on the direction card in the pocketfold invitation, and to tie it all together, we designed a beautiful stamp incorporating the castle. In finalizing the entire package, we added a wax seal on the back of the envelope with the bride and groom’s initials as a perfect finishing touch for what will be the most magical night of their lives.

Remember these gorgeous chinoiserie inspired invitations that we featured last year? They were featured in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings! This job was a team effort by our in-house designers Brenda Fox, who created all of the custom illustrations for the invitation suite, and Mariel Mirra, who did the layout and design work. The suite was inspired by a blue-and-white chinoiserie fruit bowl that sat on the bride’s family kitchen counter while she was growing up. Honor and Jay worked with Phyllis at By Invitation Only to create their custom invitations, which were featured alongside photos from their wedding day in an 8-page spread in the latest issue. Visit Martha Stewart Weddings to see even more photos from their celebration!

Are you ready for take off? We bet these custom letterpress wedding invitations will make you swoon! This whimsical set was submitted to us by our good friend, Darcy at Pearl Beach Paperie in Orlando, Florida. The invitation is printed in an AMAZING combination of cherry and black inks. The exterior of the folio is offset printed in cherry which adds to the romantic vibe! You can see the couple’s passion for airplanes and even a bit of the couple’s personality in every piece. This set features just about the cutest reply postcards we’ve ever seen! The reply postcards ask guests if they’re ready for take off or grounded due to inclement weather -as the choices are to accept or decline. These creative invitations let guests know that the wedding celebration will be filled with fun!

A unique stationery boutique on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, RSVP Today is a quaint by-appointment-only studio specializing in fine stationery and a beloved Smock dealer. Proprietress Deborah Hassan holds a business degree from New York University and spent many years in the corporate world working for a Fortune 500 company before becoming an entrepreneur. She shares, “When it came time to open my own store I wanted to sell a product I was passionate about. My love for paper began when I was a child; collecting samples of invitations and stationery that I purchased and received throughout the years.”

Debbie’s studio space is filled with gorgeous letterpress creations and is a haven for stationery lovers. She works attentively with each client to dream up the invitations, card and announcements of their dreams, filled with unique details and personal touches. We love this recent customization of our Cindrel letterpress wedding invitation design that she created with a client for their upcoming June wedding. It features a custom folio printed in azalea ink that showcases a unique customization of the Cindrel motif creating a frame around the couple’s wedding date. The interior of the folio is printed in our pippin pattern in blush ink and features several inserts detailing event information, lists of local accommodations and more. The letterpress invitation itself is a horizontal version of our Cindrel design printed in azalea ink paired with navy to match the other event details the couple is planning for their wedding.

In our typical fashion, we had to ask Deborah a few questions to get a feel for what makes her tick…

If you were invited to the White House for dinner, what would you wear? I would want to wear something elegant and special. As with any invitation, it is important to have a memorable and unique presentation that reflects the event.

If you could describe your personality in letterpress, which Smock design would you be and why? It would be Vettore, which I used when I did my letterpress holiday cards through Smock. I used Spence and Engravers printed in red ink.

What would you suggest as must-visit places for first time visitors to New York? My studio is right across the street from the Guggenheim Museum and Central Park, both must sees on your visit. It is also right off Madison Avenue, an area boasting some of the most renowned stores in the world.

What is your favorite part about what you do? I love helping people find the right invitation and making the experience fun instead of stressful. My store has a warm, unique and cozy atmosphere that makes people feel comfortable and excited to take part in planning their event. I love stationery and enjoy looking through my books with my customers.